


Sleepless in [Not] Seattle

by LucindaAM



Series: Write For Me [22]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Fluff, It's just not mentioned at all, Light (super light) Angst, Light Swearing, No Smut, Reader has insomnia, Reader is non-gendered, Steve wished he could punch insomnia in the face, don't we all sometimes, pure fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 14:41:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28655145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LucindaAM/pseuds/LucindaAM
Summary: You haven't been able to sleep in days. It's not nightmares although you almost wish it was. Sometimes nightmares are easier to face than your own thoughts. Luckily, Steve doesn't like taking your insomnia lying down.Pure. Freaking. Fluff.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Reader
Series: Write For Me [22]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1997872
Comments: 19
Kudos: 46





	Sleepless in [Not] Seattle

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mrsxfredweasley](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mrsxfredweasley/gifts).



> It's Mrsxfredweasley's birthday today!!! And she specifically requested: "Fluff with Steve/Reader or Bucky/Reader."
> 
> So, for my grand premier into the New Year, here's fluff!
> 
> Happy birthday friend. May it be a good one with glad tidings all around. XD

It was late and you weren’t sleeping. Again. You sighed as you burrowed deeper into the luxurious couch Tony had spared no expense for and stared out the window at the never sleeping city of New York. Tony had once claimed you’d get no better sleep than you would on that couch. He’d of course been in the doghouse at the time and so he hadn’t exactly had a better option, but you’d still take a perverse sense of satisfaction when you told him he was wrong tomorrow morning. 

You sighed again and let your tired eyes trace over the bright glow of the cars moving below. Fruitlessly, you let your mind wander, hoping that the white noise would eventually lull you to sleep like it would at any other time. You never let your mind wander directly to your problems, but they were still there all the same, in the back of your mind waiting for just the right moment to sink their claws in once again. You closed your eyes and leaned your head back against the couch. You were just so damn tired . . . 

“It’s not polite to stare.” Your words were whispered but seemed so loud in the otherwise quiet of the room. 

The answering chuckle was somehow quieter and soothed your fraying nerves. “I don't think it counts as staring if I just got here.” Steve offered gently as he moved through the darkness towards you. 

You glanced up and gave him a tired but appreciative smile as you took in his appearance. Low slung pajama bottoms did nothing to hide his toned hips and the custom-made “Nothing contains my FURY” shirt you’d had made (two sizes too small, you’re welcome world), did nothing to hide his broad chest. You almost wanted to run your hands over it and see if you couldn’t tempt Steve into your favorite kind of cardio, but the look on his face said that he’d already seen the dark bags under your eyes and wasn’t in the mood to play that kind of doctor tonight. 

You glanced away and didn’t say as you turned your attention back to the street below. Your grip on your blankets tightened and you drew them closer around you as though they could protect you from the worry your significant other was putting off in waves. 

“I couldn’t sleep.” You answered the unspoken question. 

“You haven’t in days.” There was nothing accusatory in Steve’s tone of voice, but you winced anyway. You hadn’t realized he’d noticed. You’d been hoping he he'd been too busy to.

You shrugged nonchalantly. “I go through cycles. You know that.” 

Steve sighed and wrapped an arm around your shoulders, pulling you to his chest. You went willingly. He placed a kiss to the top of your head as he stared rubbing soothing circles on your back. “You do.” He acknowledged grudgingly. Your monthly bouts with insomnia had been a struggle for him to get over. Though Steve had been in the military and had learned to operate on very little sleep for a very long time, he’d spent a much larger part of his life confined to bed with nothing more to do _than_ sleep. It was unnatural, in his opinion, that anyone could go for long periods of time without it. He especially hated when you had to do it mostly because though you could go weeks running on as little as three hours of sleep a night, once you hit your limit you’d sleep like the dead for _days._ Nothing could wake you up at that point. The entire tower could burn down around you and you’d simply yawn and roll over. The first time it had happened, he’d had one of his first honest to goodness panic attacks since the serum had changed him forever. It took a toll on him to see you so comatose. So, it was safe to say, Steve didn’t much care for your self-proclaimed “cycles” but even he had to admit they were useful while you were on mission. 

But you weren’t on a mission. Hadn’t been in almost a month. 

So why the hell weren’t you sleeping? 

“Is it nightmares?” He asked quietly. 

You sighed and shook your head. Nightmares you could deal with. There were treatments and therapies. Nothing you hadn’t done a thousand times in the past. It was a lot harder to know what to fight this time around because for once in your life you weren’t sure _why_ you couldn’t fall asleep and that, more than anything, was driving you up the wall. 

Steve scoured his mind desperate to fix this thing that he had no control over. You could practically hear the gears grinding up in that big head of his and you smiled sadly as you snaked an arm out of your cocoon to reach up and gently cup the side of his face. “It’s not a Nazi you can punch Steve. I’ll be okay.” You teased. 

Steve let out a long and deep sigh and closed his eyes, letting the warmth of your hand against his face and the warmth of your body against his chest soothe him. You were fine. Tired, but fine. He just needed to hold on to that. 

Eventually, your arm grew cold and tired and you pulled it right back under the blankets until you were once again cocooned. You shifted until your head was lying in his lap and you glanced up at him with a small smile. “You should go to sleep _Captain._ You look exhausted.” 

Steve cracked a grin as he crossed his arms over his chest, careful not to bump your head. “Well I would be. It ain't easy watchin' after you."

You gasped in mock outrage just like you always did, and Steve chuckled lightly before he wrapped one arm around your waist and let the other one fall to your head. He ran his fingers through your hair as his attention turned back to the sleepless city outside. For a while the two of you just stared, him out the window and you at him and then Steve stared humming softly under his breath. You smiled and closed your eyes as the lyrics to a song you held close to your heart filled your head. 

_There’s something in the way you roll your eyes_

_Takes me back to a better time_

_When I saw everything is good_

_But now you’re the only thing that’s good._

_Tryna stand up on my own two feet_

_This conversation ain’t comin’ easily_

_And darling, I know it’s getting late_

_So what do you say we leave this place?_

_Walk me home in the dead of night_

_I can’t be alone with all that’s on my mind._

_So say you’ll stay with me tonight_

_‘Cuz there is so much wrong going on outside._

Your eyes felt heavier and you let out a deep breath as the words washed over you. Your thoughts had been so heavy lately with so much on your plate and so many things in the world to do . . . And you were just . . . so . . . tired . . . 

Steve continued humming as he combed through your hair with his fingers, almost oblivious to the spell he was casting over you. 

_There’s something in the way I wanna cry_

_That makes me think we’ll make it out alive_

_So come on and show me how we’re good_

_I think that we could do some good._

_Walk me home in the dead of night_

_I can’t be alone with all that’s on my mind_

_So say you’ll stay with me tonight_

_Cuz there is so much wrong going on outside._

Steve hummed his way through both ending choruses as he listened for your breathing to slow and even out. He let the last of the notes fall away from his lips before he glanced down at your innocent expression and let out a sigh of relief and pure love. Gently, he shuffled himself out from under you, kneeling briefly by the side of the couch just long enough to press a gentle kiss to your sleeping lips before he reached down and hooked his arms under you, hauling you up in a bridal carry as he carried you back to your rooms. You didn’t stir once and Steve felt a sense of relief wash through him. You were deep asleep, would be for days, but you were finally _sleeping._

Steve may not have been able to fix all of your problems and he knew that you wouldn’t want him to try. But at least for tonight, he’d solved this one. 

**Author's Note:**

> The song is called "Walk Me Home" by Pink. It's my go to when I'm feeling insanely stressed. You should give it a listen if you haven't already. ;)
> 
> Requests are still closed, guys while I finish up the ones in my inbox already. But I'll let you know once they're open again! Love you all and thanks for reading!


End file.
